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DE Jashon Cornell, top-ranked player in Minnesota, making weekend visit to Michigan State

MSU Dantonio 012

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio speaks to hundreds of high school football players on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at the Sound Mind, Sound Body football camp at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods near Detroit. Jake May | MLive.com

HARPER WOODS -- Jashon Cornell can quickly single out the two factors that will be most important in choosing his college destination.

“My relationship with the coaching staff and the academics,” Cornell said. “The academics are important, my mom won’t let me play football if I’m not doing the academic side.”

And in at least one of those categories, Michigan State is doing well.

Cornell singled out Michigan State defensive line coach Ron Burton as one of his favorite coaches in the Big Ten, along with Larry Johnson of Ohio State and Sean Spencer of Penn State.

“They’re crazy and they know how to coach,” Cornell said of the three. “They’re loud, and they know how to get on you without cussing or anything.”

Cornell -- a defensive end -- is a composite four-star recruit, according to 247sports, the 37th-best player in the country and the top Minnesota player in his class.

At the Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy Thursday at Chandler Park Academy near Detroit, he said Michigan State is one of seven finalists in his recruiting, along with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, UCLA and Minnesota. He said he plans to cut that list to three schools in July.

He’ll also use the weekend in Michigan to make visits to both Ann Arbor and East Lansing.

Cornell said he’s taking all of his visits over the summer so he can make a commitment on Aug. 28, before the first day of his senior year. He then plans to graduate in December and enroll early at the school of his choice.

Of the Spartans’ five commits in the Class of 2015, none are on the defensive line.